Apr 20, 2014

05:59 AM

ESPN’s Sage Steele, a “SportsCenter” host and fixture on the “NBA Countdown” show who will also play a key role when the NBA Finals roll around, brings something to the table her male counterparts can’t match—a superior sense of style and fashion.

These days, that flair is increasingly embellished by the dresses of a rising Connecticut fashion designer, Jean Anne Boccaccio of West Hartford, whose attorney-to-mom-to-aspiring-designer narrative is one that every strong women has to root for. (Right, Steele wearing a dress by Boccaccio on the "NBA Countdown Show" April 19)

Steele’s connection with Boccaccio solidified at a “Project Runway”-style event last year, and at that point the play that Steele sketched on the chalk board had her, at some point, wearing a Boccaccio design before a national TV audience during sports prime-time.

The dress Steele wore on “NBA Countdown” April 19 marked the third time she has worn a Boccaccio design on the air, with a debut March 9 and a followup April 13; the second dress featured long sleeves with the brilliant functional flourish of built-in “gloves” with thumb holes, a touch the NBA host greatly appreciated in a cold studio.

“I fell in love with Jeannie’s style when she won the ‘Project Runway ‘competition last fall, and love it even more now after wearing a few of her pieces,” Steele says. “I’m pretty tall (5’11”) so finding the right clothing with the right fit for my body isn’t always easy … but is still essential in this industry. That’s why Jeannie’s clean, simple lines and attention to detail have made wearing her clothes such a pleasure!”